Inflammation is the complex biological response of vascular tissues to harmful stimuli, such as pathogens, damaged cells, or irritants. It is a protective attempt by the organism to remove the injurious stimuli as well as initiate the healing process for the tissue.
Humans and many animals are afflicted with a variety of inflammatory disorders, including allergy, asthma, atherosclerosis, dermatitis (such as allergic chronic contact dermatitis and environmental chronic contact dermatitis), laminitis, reactive airway diseases and processes (such chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (“COPD”), inflammatory airway disease (“IAD”), inflammatory bowel disease, and rheumatoid arthritis, ulcerative colitis, Crohn's disease, stroke-induced brain cell death, ankylosing spondylitis, fibromyalgia. Autoimmune diseases such as asthma, multiple sclerosis, systemic lupus erythematosus, scleroderma, systemic sclerosis, and Sjögren's syndrome are inflammatory disorders characterized by dysregulation of the immune system and inappropriate mobilization of body's defenses against its own healthy tissue.
Analgesics, anti-inflammatory agents, (both steroidal and non-steroidal), and immunosuppressive agents are used to attempt to manage these disorders. However, a need remains for additional agents to treat inflammation and inflammatory disorders.